The Old Kiln Light Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:        2'

Length:      ½ mile (0.8km)

Opened:     1982 (at present site) 1971 (as Wey Valley Light Railway)

Location:   Old Kiln Light Railway
                    Rural Life Living Museum
                    Reeds Road
                    Tilford
                    Farnham
                    GU10 2DL

Web:          https://oklr.org/

Email:         info@oklr.org

Date of visit:     21 June 2026

Key Facts

• Located at the Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford, near Farnham in Surrey.
• It was originally founded in the early 1970s as the 150 yard long Wey Valley Light Railway which ran around the grounds of the Moor Park Venture Scout Unit.
• The track and equipment were moved to the Old Kiln Museum, now known as the Rural Life Centre in 1982 when the land at the original site was sold for housing.
• The line has since lengthened around the centre
• A small stretch of track serves the museum's heritage timber yard demonstration area
• The railway has two steam locomotives and currently a third is on loan from the Moors Valley Railway
• It also has sixteen internal combustion powered locomotives and an other on loan
• It has six coaches and around a dozen wagons, mostly former RNAD or RAF stock.
• It is run by a team of dedicated volunteers and received the "Surrey Industrial History Group Conservation" award in 1994
• It has four stations: Reeds Road, Old Kiln Halt, Oatlands and Mills Wood 

Route

My Impressions

The 21 June 2026 was one of the hottest days of the year and so when we arrived, we made immediately for the café and sat with a soft drink under the trees.

Source: Simon Burchell

 After a brief tour of the museum we settled down to watch the Berkshire Bedlam Morris Dancers who were staging a performance for visitors. The railway had suspended the running of trains while the morris dancers were performing. The quality of the morris dancing was superb - a series of Fieldtown dances some of which were very complex.

 While the dancers were resting, I was able to grab a quick train ride, down and back up the line. I was the only passenger.

 The dancing resumed and then a few more train rides were organised, one of which was a special train for the morris side and their families.

The line travels around three sides of the site, mostly through woodland ......

........ and then between a campsite and the edge of the museum grounds. 

There are extensive workshops and sheds housing most of the railway's collection of stock which can be glimpsed through the open doorways as the train passes by.

 The two through stations are request stops, but most of the passengers were content to travel from one end of the line to the other.

The staff were very friendly and informative, willing to answer questions and demonstrate their knowledge of the railway and its stock.

 Unfortunately, there were only sandwiches and cakes available in the café during our visit as the cook was on holiday, but I understand there is usually a fairly comprehensive menu of hot meals available in addition to hot beverages and cold drinks.

 The exhibits around the site are interesting and well laid out. Often there are demonstrations of, for example, blacksmithing. It would be advisable to check what events are planned before making a visit.

Source: https://www.visitsoutheastengland.com

 There are play areas for children and plenty of places undercover and outside for picnics.

Video

Bursledon Brickworks - Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust

In a nutshell

Gauge:         2'

Length:      1/3 mile (475m)

Opened:     1994

Location:   

Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum
Coal Park Lane
Swanwick
Southampton,
SO31 7GW

Web:      http://www.hngrt.org.uk/index.php
               https://www.bursledonbrickworks.org.uk/index.php

Email:   http://www.hngrt.org.uk/contact.php

 

Date of visit:     23 September 2018

 

Key Facts

• The railway at Bursledon originated with the formation of the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society in 1961. It's main purpose was to purchase and rescue and rebuild a Bagnall saddle tank locomotive from a slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, and to set up a narrow gauge railway in Hampshire.
• The society transformed into the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust in 2006, based at the Bursledon Brickworks Museum, where it now has a collection of locomotives and equipment rescued from various industrial locations around the country.
• The Bursledon Light Railway has four operational locomotives; two steam - Wendy (the original Bagnall loco), Cloister (a quarry Hunslet loco from Dinorwic Quarry in North Wales); and two Simplex Motor Rail internal combustion locos - Agwi Pet (from a refinery in Fawley) and Brambridge Hall (used on the construction of Winchester Bypass).
• The railway also has a miscellaneous collection of goods rolling stock and a couple of passenger carriages.
• The railway operates during special events through the year coincidental with events organised by the Bursledon Brickworks Museum. See http://www.hngrt.org.uk/events_bbim.php or http://www.bursledonbrickworks.org.uk/events.php
• There are refreshments available at the adjacent Brickworks Museum cafe and ample parking. The trains are wheelchair accessible.

Route

 

My Impressions

My visit to the railway coincided with a WW1 re-enactment day at the Brickworks Museum and so there were soldiers in WW1 uniforms wandering around together with a pipe band performing at regular intervals (you will be able to hear some of their music in the background on the video).

After parking and paying our modest entry fee, we spent an hour or so looking around the Brickworks museum, which is fascinating as it is the only steam powered brickworks still operational in the UK. I had no prior conception of the brick-making process and so by the end of my wanderings, I was considerably wiser and much impressed.

The machinery was powered by a horizontal mill engine built in 1885 by Woods & Sons of Wigan and is very much in working order. This is one of four working stationary steam engines at the site - only two of which were operating when I visited.

 This engine powered one of the brick clay rolling and extruding machines - the clay would have been loaded in through a hopper at the top of the machine and fed through the rollers .......

..... to be extruded as a rectangular block which was then sliced with cheese wires into individual bricks. These were taken by barrow to be stacked in the drying rooms and then on to the kilns. And, basically, that was the brick-making process.

Another machine was used to press clay into wooden moulds, for decorative or shaped bricks ....

.... and there were some really impressive educational exhibits, such as this model of the mill engine which allows children (and adults) to figure out the the role of key components needed to make the valves operate the piston, which in this case is powered with compressed air.

There were many other artefacts on display, including demonstrations of brick-making by hand ...

..... and of various tools of the trade.

But of course, what really interested me was the railway - which would, of course, originally have been used (together with an aerial ropeway) to transport raw clay from the quarries to the brickworks. Some of the sheds and workshops for the railway were adjacent to the museum and gave a tantalising glimpse of the equipment owned by the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust.

I made my way to the station where the loco and coach were sitting awaiting passengers. Unfortunately, the line's principal Simplex loco was experiencing a few technical problems at that moment, ......

...... and so, the slightly less powerful alternative Simplex loco was pressed into service.

The rain stopped and the passenger trains resumed service as the sun broke through the clouds. We were taken firstly up the line ......

..... and were then propelled back down past the station, before heading up the other arm of the U-shaped track. We then returned to the station where another enthusiastic group of passengers were waiting.

I then spent another hour or so, watching further trains taking delighted passengers back and forth; the original loco having been repaired.

The Trust has made the most of the site, squeezing the maximum amount of track into the available space. A spur, running alongside one of the arms of the passenger track is used mostly by goods traffic to display some of the railway's freight stock.

The right-hand section of the 'main line' meanders through the trees and past some of the workshops behind the car park, so there is plenty to see on the short journey.

I really enjoyed my morning at the Bursledon Brickworks. The museum itself is very well laid out with a good range of exhibits and plenty of well informed and helpful staff on hand to explain the brick making process and the role of various bits of machinery and architecture.

The railway itself is of extreme interest to anyone who is enthusiastic about industrial narrow gauge railways. The combination of a passenger train ride, together with an opportunity to see freight trains in operation, makes for a pleasant and informative experience. The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful, answering every question with enthusiasm and knowledge.

There is also a passenger carrying 7¼" gauge railway for the young and the young at heart.

Video

[In preparation] 

Rye and Camber Tramway

In a nutshell

Gauge:        3'

Length:      Approx. 1¾ miles

Opened:     Saturday 13 July 1895
Closed:       1939 (Outbreak of WWII)

Location:  

View Narrow gauge railways Britain & Ireland (closed) in a larger map

 

Web:   http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/colonel-stephens-railways/rye-and-camber-tramway.html

 Dates of visit: 4 April and 6 April 2013

Key Facts

• The railway was engineered by Holman F Stephens (Lt. Colonel Stephens) who later became well known for being responsible for several Light Railways across the country - Including the Kent & East Sussex Railway which has a museum charting his exploits.
• It was called a 'tramway' because it was built entirely on private land and so at the time did not need an Act of Parliament. The Light Railways Act came into force the year after it was opened and so, had it been built then it would have been called a Light Railway.
• The railway was originally set up to transport golfers to the newly opened Camber golf club.
• At first the railway terminated at what later became Golf Links Station. The line was extended in 1908 to Camber Sands to accommodate the increase in day tripper traffic - although the station was still about ½mile from Camber itself
• The railway had two 2-4-0 steam locomotives - Camber and Victoria, both constructed by Bagnalls of Stafford.
• The railway had two bogie passenger coaches and two open wagons which could be converted to carry passengers as needed
• In 1925, the railway acquired an 0-4-0 Simplex petrol powered locomotive. Victoria was sold and Camber was used only on very rare occasions
• In 1939 Camber Sands station was moved to a new location to permit improvements to the golf course. However, the railway closed to passenger transport shortly afterwards and, although the Admiralty made some use of the railway, including concreting over part of the trackbed near the Golf Links Station, but after the war the railway was in such poor condition it was closed completely.
• Although much of the trackbed is still visible, the extraction of shingle between Broadwater Bridge and Halfway House has resulted in a large lagoon where this part of the railway once ran.

 

Route

The Route of the Rye & Camber Tramway - Source: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/railways/ryecam/02_ryecam.jpg

 

My Impressions

My first encounter with the railway was on a bitterly cold day in April when I parked the car beside the bridge over the River Rother in Rye and walked the footpath to the lagoon.

The site of the station beside the Monkbretton bridge is indistinct but the line of the railway across the meadow from the station towards Camber is clearly visible.

Rye Station with the abutments of Monkbretton Bridge in the background - Source http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/topics/camber_tramway/tram_b.jpg

The site of Rye Station

The Rye & Camber Tramway track across the meadow

A brisk walk across the meadow along the footpath/cycle track and we reached the Broadwater Stream which was crossed by the railway on a simple girder bridge.

Broadwater Bridge with a train bound for Rye - Source: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/topics/camber_tramway/tram_j.jpg

Broadwater Bridge today

Looking back towards Rye, it is possible to make out the embankment leading up to the bridge and the route of the railway across the field.

Broadwater Bridge looking back towards Rye

At this point the route of the railway is interrupted by a lagoon formed by flooding the shingle workings at Northpoint Beach - it is now used for windsurfing.

The flooded shingle workings covering the old trackbed of the railway.

Although it would be possible to walk beside the lagoon towards Camber, we re-traced our steps hopped in the car to Camber, where we attempted to trace the route of the railway from the opposite direction.

The trackbed as it emerges from beside Gorse Cottage.

With the lagoon and Rye in the background the railway emerges once more by Gorse Cottage. It is now embedded in concrete which was laid by the Admiralty during the Second World War. On the right of this picture would have been Golf View which was demolished in 1983.

Golf View (aka Beachlands and Squatters' Right) with a Rye Bound train - Source: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/topics/camber_tramway/tram_d.jpg

Turning around to look towards Camber, the trackbed now forms the roadway to Rye Harbour - but in places the rails are still visible.

The trackbed looking towards the site of Golf View - Golf Links station in the distance

The trackbed beside the site of Golf View - looking towards Golf Links Station

At the end of the road lies the slightly extended and modified station building and platform for Golf Links station which is presently in use by the golf club as a store room.

Golf Links Station building and platform with the concreted trackbed.

Golf Links Station in its days as the Camber terminus - Source: http://www.urban75.org/railway/images/camber02.jpg

The track is very much in evidence preserved in the Admiralty's concrete. Looking back towards Rye it's possible to imagine the train snaking its way beside the golf course to the station.

The trackbed looking back towards Rye from just outside Golf Links Station

The Simplex Railmotor hauls a packed train between Rye and Golf Links in 1931 - Source: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/topics/camber_tramway/tram_n.jpg

Golf Links Station building from the jetty. The Golf Club buildings in the background

Although the course of the river has changed slightly and the golf course has been extended beyond the railway into what was once salt marshes, the station building is still quite close the the harbour and the newly built harbour master's house.

Golf Links Station during WWII when the Admiralty built a siding to a jetty - Source: http://www.colonelstephenssociety.co.uk/R&C%20E.jpg-for-web-large.jpg

On the day we were there, builders had taken over part of the former station yard and so not all was accessible - however, this looked to be a temporary intrusion.

The golf course has commandeered the trackbed immediately after the station but within a short distance there is a gateway to a permissive footpath across the golf course on the trackbed of the railway. This photo was taken looking back towards the Golf Links station, the harbour master's house is quite an impressive structure in the middle distance, dwarfing the old station building to its right.

Looking back towards Golf Links Station. The Harbour Master's house dwarfing the station building to its right

Looking the opposite way, towards Camber Sands Station, after curving to the left the track strikes out in a straight line on a low embankment. On the right would have been saltmarshes in the days of the railway, the embankment being washed by high tides. To the right in the middle distance the original trackbed branches off towards the pre 1939 terminus.

Looking towards the second Camber Sands Station - the original trackbed veered off to the left in the middle distance.

An early train with all coaching stock pressed into service among the marram grass near Camber Sands Station - Source: http://www.colonelstephenssociety.co.uk/COL-RCT1.jpg-for-web-large.jpg

The footpath follows the 1939 deviation to the second, short-lived Camber Sands Station. There is very little to show nowadays, apart from a widening of the trackbed to accommodate the wooden platform and shelter.

The site of the second Camber Sands Station

The original Camber Sands Station with the tea rooms in the background - Source: http://www.colonelstephenssociety.co.uk/Camber%20sands%201924.jpg-for-web-large.jpg

Camber Sands Station looking towards Golf View and Rye - Source: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/images/stories/topics/camber_tramway/tram_l.jpg

Camber Sands - Source: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkfDfyebsN38vl2CTuVkI5YINPCWkEnRIL-LffM3WflgRAyG2p

 There is very little in evidence now of the original structure but searching among the 'rough' beside the trackbed unearthed the remains of a wooden post - which might well have been one of the supports for the wooden platform.

Camber Sands Station (1939 site) looking back towards Golf View and Rye. The remains of a wooden post just visible in the foreground.

Access

Most of the railway trackbed is still accessible. There is a small parking area beside the Monkbretton Bridge on the way out of Rye towards Camber. The footpath starts here beside the site of the station.

Site of Rye Station beside the bridge

View from the bridge - the trackbed is just discernible stretching out across the field from beside the Pumping Station.

It is possible to walk or cycle from here to Camber following the trackbed for much of the way.

Another access point is on the Camber Road, just where it takes a sharp left turn to run beside the lagoon. There is a parking area on the bend where the cycle track crosses the road. A short walk down the cycle track will take you to the remains of the Broadwater Bridge.

The remains of the Broadwater Bridge snapped from the footpath.

The best approach to the railway from Camber is to park in the Camber West car park and take the footpath to beach from the Westernmost end  of the car park (near to a row of cottages). The permissive footpath across the golf course on the trackbed can be accessed about half way along this path on the right hand side. The car park fee is quite pricey but you can walk the remaining section of the railway to the lagoon and back again in two hours.

Alternatively, you can park on the main beach car park and walk along the sands. Take the path into the dunes beside the 'Red Zone B' signboard and you will come to the start of the permissive path across the golf course (this time on the left hand side about half way along).